Computerized systems used in facilities management have become increasingly important in the management of mobile workers throughout large industrial and commercial facilities. The integration of work flow and mobile worker management in conjunction with the different jobs and tasks to be performed, and the availability of stores, such as inventory, is becoming increasingly complicated and important, as facilities managers desire to decrease costs, and workers are to be assigned jobs according to their skill level. There have been some proposals for managing various facilities and building projects, but they have not provided for a complete system and method for managing physical facilities in an efficient manner.
For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,387 to Honma et al. discloses a system for preparing a cyclic maintenance work schedule table, such as for a contractor having a contract with persons owning or managing buildings. In this system, data about workers and buildings to be maintained are entered in a computer system. A table of schedules is output for job assignments. Although the system provides for some maintenance work schedule, it does not provide for ongoing hourly, daily, monthly or other time frame for long range planning and scheduling, and is operable for day-to-day control over worker activities and management, including records management and log viewing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,120 to Foley discloses an automated manufacturing cost link system with indirect cost allocation to identify material in an initial state for manufacturing and production at a final stage. U.S. Pat. No. 5,189,606 to Burns et al. discloses an integrated construction cost generator used to develop costs for construction products.